Combined box and hinge construction



p 8, 1942- H. *G. VALENTINE COMBINED BOX AND HINGE CQNSTRUCTION Filed June 17, 1940 Patented Sept. 8, 1942 COMBINED BOX AND HINGE- CONSTRUCTION Harold G. Valentine, Lockport, N. Y., assignor to Norton Laboratories, Lockport, N. Y., a corporation of Maine Application June 17, 1940, Serial No. 340,929

3 Claims.

This invention relates, in general, to boxes or receptacles and more particularly to a combined box and hinge construction adapted to be made preferably of plastic materials.

While my invention will be described in connection with a jewelry box, it will be appreciated that the invention has wider application and may be employed in connection with the manufacture of boxes for other purposes such, for example, as womens compacts, rouge boxes, and cigarette cases. Jewelry boxes are, to a considerable extent, now made of thermo-setting, pressure molded, plastic materials. In the molding of such boxes, it is diflicult if not impossible to employ any coring because of the high pressures employed during the thermo-setting pressure molding process. For this reason the hinge knuckles, which are preferably formed integral with the bottom and cover sections of the box, have in the past been bored after molding for the reception of the hinge pintles. The plastic material is extremely brittle and tends to crack and chip ofi during boring, particularly when long and through bores are required. Moreover, it is diflicult, on a production basis, to maintain the accurate alinement required between the pintle openings in the cover section and the pintle openings in the bottom section. The difliculties of coring the parts or boring the parts, after they have been molded, have led. to the wide adoption of the combined box and hinge construction shown in Bryant Patent No. 2,144,491, issued January 17, 1939.

While of considerable advantage over the conventional pintle type hinge arrangement, the combined box and hinge of the above mentioned Bryant patent has two disadvantages. The more important of these disadvantages is the fact that the hinge line is extremely unattractive and must be covered by materials, which are not only expensive, but also'costly to install. The second disadvantage of the structure of the Bryant patent lies in the fact that the cover and bottom sections are held in assembled relation primarily by friction between the Walls of pockets in the sections and the hinge leaves which lie in these pockets. The disadvantages of the structure of the Bryant patent have led to various attempts to devise other ways of hinging the cover section with respect to the bottom section without requiring coring of the parts during the molding process, or without requiring any extensive borings. Such efforts have'led to the development of the combined hinge and box construction shown in the ccpending application of William J Hiscock, Serial No. 219,679, filed March 8, 1937,

(now Patent 2,208,l58, granted July 16, 1940) and to the development of the subject matter of this application,

An object of my invention is to provide a combined box and hinge construction in which coring, during the molding process is unnecessary, and in which only small borings for the reception of the hinge parts are required.

Another object of my invention is to provide a box capable of being molded from plastic materials which requires no coring, no extensive boring and in which the metal parts of the hinge are entirelyhidden from view when the box is either closed or in an open jewelry displaying position.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a more satisfactory spring arrangement for applying a snap action to the box.

A further object of my invention is to provide a box, adapted to be made of plastic materials, in which the hinge line is solid and continuous across the back of the box at the meeting line between the cover section and the bottom section, and in which the metal hinge elements do not show so as to eliminate the usual covering material employed in most jewelry boxes to hide the unattractive metal parts of the hinge,

My invention further contemplates a box which may be molded of plastic materials at an extremely reasonable cost; is attractive in appearance; and wherein the cover section is firmly connected to the, bottom section so that the parts can not become disassembled during normal use of the box. 7

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be more particularly pointed out in the claims and will be apparent from the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which: I

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the combined box' and hinge construction of my invention showing parts of the box in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the combined box and hinge showing portions of the box in dotted lines;

Fig. 3 is a view taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2, in the direction indicated by the arrows, showing the position of the parts, when the cover section is in a closed position with respect to the bottom section;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the position of the parts when the cover section is in an open position with respect to the bottom section;

'Fig. 5 is a view taken substantially on the line 5 of Fig. 2, in the direction indicated by the arrows, and

Fig. 6 is a view taken substantially on the line 66 of Fig. 1, in the direction indicated by the arrows.

The combined box and hinge construction of my invention, as shown in Fig. 5, comprises a bottom section, indicated by the numeral II, and a top or cover section indicated by the numeral I2. The particular box shown in the drawing is of rather specific shape but this is unimportant. The invention may be incorporated in numerous designs and shapes of boxes.

As previously mentioned, the box may be made of plastic materials, preferably of the thermosetting type. The two sections of the box may be made either in separate molds or in a single mold, in a manner well known in the art of molding plastic materials. The cover section [2, in addition to the usual sides, top and front, has a rear wall [3 I (Fig. 2), which may be rounded, as shown in the drawing, or any other suitable shape. Near the lower portion of the rear wall, the wall is preferably straight, as indicated at l4 (Fig. 1), and terminates in a preferably sharp lower edge-l6 (Fig. 2). The mold in which the cover section is formed is shaped so as to provide cut-out parts H, which preferably have plane faces l8. The portions between the plane faces l8 constitute hinge knuckles for the cover section of the box. While the material is preferably continuous, from one face l8 to the other, this portion of the cover section, in effect, constitutes two hinge knuckles.

From the lower edge [6, as shown in Fig. 3, the hinge knuckle portion of the cover section is formed with a surface l9, which preferably extends at an acute angle with respect to the rear wall l4 so that the edge I6 is sharply defined. The forward portion of the hinge knuckle as at 2| is preferably rounded so that when the cover is open, as indicated in Fig. 4, the rounded portion 2| of the hinge knuckle is presented to view.

The faces 18 of thehinge knuckles of the cover section are provided with bores 26 which extend inward from the faces toward each other. The bores which are adapted to receive pintles or pins 21 are preferably rather shallow and do not extend through from one face to the other. The recessed parts I! have surfaces 28, portions of which, as shown at 29, are preferably each formed on the arc of a circle of which the axis of the pintles 21 is the center.

The bottom section of the box has a front wall 3|, a rear wall 32, side walls 33, and a bottom wall 34. As shown most clearly in Fig. 6, the bottom section is provided near its rear with a recess 36, or what might be considered two recesses, one on each side of the bottom of the box. The recess 36 is also indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Adjacent the top of the bottom section, along the rear edge thereof and preferably integral with the bottom section a pair of hinge knuckles 31 are provided. The hinge knuckles 31 have plane faces 38 which, when the box is assembled, as shown in Fig. 2, are closely spaced with respect to or contiguous to the faces l8 on the cover section. The upper surfaces of the hinge knuckles 31 are preferably substantially semicircular in cross section, as shown at 49, and are conformed in shape to the curved surfaces 29 on the cover section.

The under side of each of the hinge knuckles 3'! is provided with a surface 39 which is preferably partly circular in cross section for the reception of the cylindrical surfaces of the pintles or pins 21. The clearances of the parts is made during molding such that when the box is assembled and the pintles are located as shown in Fig. 6, the surfaces 39 engage and bear against the pintles. The sides opposite the bearing surfaces 39 open into the recess or recesses 36.

In assembling the box, the box sections are placed in superposed position with the hinge knuckle faces 18 and 38 opposing each other. The pintles 21 are then moved through the cut out parts or recesses 39 formed in the bottom section in a direction normal to the axes of the pintle receiving bores 26, until they engage the bearing surfaces 39. By special tools, not necessary to be described herein, the pins may then be moved axially into the bores 26 to a position such that their ends protrude, as shown in Fig. 6, and engage the pin bearing surfaces 39.

It will be particularly noted that the pin hearing surfaces 39 face in a direction away from the top section and as long as the pins lie in their bores 26 the box parts can not become disassembled. If desired, the pins may be knurled or otherwise roughened to give them a better grip on the walls of the bores 26, the pins preferably turning with the cover section when the cover section is opened or closed. It will further be noted that no openings or metal parts of the hinge are visible from the outside of the box when the box is in either an open or closed position with the bottom of the box resting on a surface, such as that of a jewelry display case. The clearances between the faces 18 and 38 may be so small that a substantially continuous, solid hinge line is presented.

For the purpose of providing the box with a snap action both when the cover is opened and also when it is closed, a spring 4| is provided. For the reception of the spring the rear portion of the bottom section is provided with a well or recess 42 having a bottom wall 44. The

well extends preferably longitudinally of the rear edge of the box and is somewhat longer than the spring. The spring is preferably of the leaf type and has its arms 43 loosely resting upon the lower wall 44 of the well. As shown in Fig. 5, the ends of the well are formed by portions of the box 46 which are somewhat narrower than the width of the spring, shown most clearly in Figs. 3 and 4, so that the spring can not slide sidewardly out of the well. The bowed portion 46 of the leaf spring 4| engages the edge It of the cover section, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, so that the pressure of the spring holds the cover in either a closed or open position.

In the position of the parts shown in Fig. 3, the cover is closed and it will be noted that the spring retains the parts in this position. When the cover is manually opened, the edge l6 shifts forwardly over the surface of the spring gradually tensioning it until the point l6 lies substantially below the axis of the pintles 21'. Thereafter, when moved slightly beyond this point, the cover may be released from manual control and the cover will fly open and the parts will move to the position shown in Fig. 4. In closing the cover, as soon as the edge I6 moves beyond its dead center position (beneath the axis of the pintles), the spring will snap the cover to a closed position.

One of the important features of my invention lies in the fact that the point or edge I5 lies to the rear of the hinge axis or the axis of the pintles 21. This rearward positioning of the edge I6 is preferably made as large as possible so as to increase the leverage and the efiectiveness of the spring to cause the above described snap action. Moreover, the upper edge 41 of the rear wall 32 of the bottom section, which forms part of the Wall of the well 2, lies to the rear of the lower edge 16 of the rear wall of the top section. This enables the edge I6 to be located in the well below the upper edge 41 of the rear wall of the bottom section. Thus both when the cover is in a closed position, as shown in Fig. 3, and when in an open position, as shown in Fig. 4, the edge It lies at least partly in the well and is completely hidden from view. Thus no line of separation between the bottom edge of the cover section and the top edge of the bottom section exists. Moreover, the extension of the rear wall of the bottom section beyond the rear wall of the top section increases the efiectiveness of the spring. The fact that the edge l6 lies at all times partly within the well enables the spring to be completely hidden from view.

The box shown and described may be inexpensively manufactured, requires no coring during molding, and only slight borings for the reception of the pintles 21. Moreover, the hinge line is substantially solid and continuous and, since all the metal parts are hidden from View, no expensive covering material for the hinge line is required.

One of the important advantages of the spring arrangement and location shown is the fact that the article containing well of the bottom section may be molded with a bead which extends completely around the perimeter of the well. This is of importance, because in certain types of boxes as, for example, powder or rouge boxes, it is desirable that a seal be provided extending throughout the meeting edges of the cover and bottom section to prevent the escape of loose material, such as powder, from the box. The design shown also enables the elimination of the cardboard and satin neck extending around the upper margins of the article containing well, heretofore conventionally employed.

The spring arrangement shown to give the box cover a snap action may be employed with other hinge arrangements than that shown. For example, it might be employed in a box, made by other known plastic molding processes, wherein only a single pintle was employed extending completely through a cored or bored pintle opening.

While I have shown and described the preferred form of my invention, it will be apparent that various changes and modifications may be made therein, particularly in the form and relation of parts without departing from the s irit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A box comprising a bottom section having a rear wall and a cover section having a rear wall, hinge knuckles formed integrally with each of said sections, hinge means forming a hinge axis and extending between the hinge knuckles for holding the sections in assembled relation while enabling their pivotal movement, said bottom section having a well located between the hinge knuckles and below the hinge axis, a spring carried in said well, said cover section having a rear edge forming part of the rear wall which is sharply angular and formed integrally with the hinge knuckles of the cover section and which forms a bearing point for the spring, the rear wall of the bottom section extending beyond said rear edge and said rear edge lying partly in said well.

2. A box comprising a bottom section and a cover section, each of said sections having a rear wall, hinge knuckle means on said Walls, the knuckle means on one of said walls being hollow and having the interior thereof opening externally through an outer surface of the section and comprising spaced bearing surfaces facing away from the other of said walls, said knuckle means on said other of said walls having pintle pins engaging said bearing surfaces, a well in one of said walls, a spring in said well, and a shoulder on the other of said walls projecting and concealed in said well and formed with angularly arranged faces for engagement, alternately, with said spring, for holding said pins against said surfaces and said cover in either open er closed position.

3. A box including a bottom section and a cover section, said sections having rear walls, said bottom section having a pair of spaced recesses opening upwardly through the bottom thereof, a downwardly facing bearing surface in each recess, a hinge knuckle on said cover section between said bearing surfaces, pintle pins in said hinge knuckle extending into said recesses beneath said bearing surfaces, a well in said bottom section between said recesses, a spring insaid well, and a shoulder on said hinge knuckle having angularly arranged faces for contact, alternately, with said spring on opposite sides of a dead center relation for holding said pins against said bearing surfaces and said cover in either open or closed position.

HAROLD G. VALENTINE. 

